Riot Grasper

A forced loss of consciousness is a bit scary.

Its not pleasant like sleep, but rather you feel as though you are being swallowed up by the darkness and your body is melting away. There is no way to know where you are or what state you are in.

What is that? Its warm

A soft warmth, almost like grains of light, wrapped around my body.

It was particularly strong around my left arm. Almost hot.

It was so comfortable that I would have believed it if I was told that it was the Goddess who was pulling my body up out of the darkness.

.. I should be able to get up soon.

Im not sure what to do. It feels similar to trying to force a dream to end the moment you realize that its a dream. Im struggling to open my eyes.

After several failed attempts, however, I finally manage to get them open.

Oh. What about here?

Could the first figure in my hazy vision be the Goddess?

With a faint outline in my mind, I took their hands to thank them.

.. Oh. Youre awake. Im a little embarrassed.

I can tell by the wrinkled voice and face that theyre not young. His voice, which has turned white with age, looks familiar, but he is far from a Goddess. Though, their appearance with a wand fits the image of a wizard perfectly.

Gyaaaaaaaa!!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

There were two raspy screams.

Whoa, old Worm! Why are you here? I mean, why are you blushing?

Whats with the sudden shouting, Seibo? How long are you going to hold my hand? I have no taste for that kind of thing.

Seibo is the nickname old Worm gave me.

While I was teaching him myOptical Camouflagemagic, he was trying to call me, a younger man, Sensei and Master. I had to shut that down, so I told him to call me Seibo.

However, I dont think that weve become close enough to hold hands as men. I immediately let go of my left hand and looked around, switching my uselessly awakened consciousness back into gear.

Apparently, this is the first aid room of the arena.

Oh. thats right. I must have fainted at the end of my fight with Belga.

Good. You seem to have realized that you are safe. From the looks of it, your arm doesnt look too bad.

I heard such a voice from behind me as I was sitting up on a bed separated by a white curtain in the first aid room.

Oh. Oh, by the way, my left arm is in place. It works fine!

Hmm? This crystal clear voice sounds familiar too.

When I forced my head to turn around, I saw a beautiful elf in a grass colored robe. The word bliss is probably the right word to use in this case.

Hey, Illi-san. What are you doing here?

In a nutshell, its for your treatment.

Me, too.

They said it in unison. To be honest, Im kind of glad. I guess Illi-san used spirit magic to heal my wounds, and old Worm used his speciality, light magic. It must have been hard to heal my torn left arm.

But really, why are you here?

Well talk about that later.

Illi-san didnt answer my question immediately, but spoke softly behind the curtain.

Its alright now. Both of you.

The two silhouettes I could see through the curtains moved, and the thin white cloth was pushed open.

There was Stella-san, who was half crying, and Uran-san, with a look of relief on his face. I can easily imagine that these two were worried about me.

But

Im sorry. Im sorry. Im sorry. I never thought this would happen

It was rare to see her so flustered that her language had broken down like this.

No, dont worry about it. I was just doing what I was asked to do. But I think I might have been the one who got beat up. Hahaha.

I said it jokingly, but I think I was probably injured worse than Belga.

Thank you so much. Im so relieved that youre okay, Seiji-san.

Uran, being the gentleman that he is, politely thanked me.

This Stella girl. She was so excited before the match, but from the middle of it, she seemed to be on the verge of crying.

.. Excited?

Could it be that it was Stella who was shouting, Please beat him up, when I interrupted Belgas fight?

Hey, Uran! You dont have to say that!

For some reason, I felt like I was going to vomit blood uncontrollably when I saw her hitting Uran-san. She was hitting him with a vigor that seemed to fit the poka-poka onomatopoeia rather perfectly.

By the way, what happened with Garib. Did he back off quietly?

Lets get back to the point. Anyway, we won the game. There are a few points that could be difficult to deal with, but I sincerely hope that they can be resolved peacefully.

Yeah, thats.

Stellas face is cloudy. Dont tell me he hasnt given up yet?

He hasnt been seen since the match ended.

.. What?

I thought for sure you were going to say something else.

I tried to find him, but its a little strange. Its almost like he just disappeared.

Uran-san is twisting his neck. Hmm Im sure hes worried about finding out. It would be troublesome if he were to be accused of many things later on. Would it be too much to assume that he honestly and quietly stepped down because he lost?

Well, the match is over, and I dont think theyll take any devious action.

Thats right. If anything else happens, I think Ill go on rant next time.

Im wondering what the content of Stellas rant will be, but I guess the matter is settled for now.

Well then, Seiji-san. Ill be ready to serve you a huge feast tonight, so please come by Bellyful Flavors.

Uran-san smiled brightly. I guess the best way to thank someone is to have them eat a full meal of your food.

Ive regained consciousness and the wounds on my body have healed, but the blood I shed has not returned. I definitely feel like stuffing my stomach with meat the size of my head.

Ill take care of it.

Uran smiled confidently. I think Im going to fall in love with him

After seeing them off, I got up from the bed, feeling satisfied that my work was done.

So I guess Ill be leaving soon. I have to fix my armor.

My eaten left arm is back to normal, but my armor is not so good. I have to go to a store to get it repaired or it will look super awkard.

Why dont you go ask again why I was here?

Illi-san asked us.

Thank you so much for treating my injuries. I was wondering if it would bother you if I asked you an in-depth question.

No, no, I was just doing what was natural. But I see. So youre saying that Seiji-san isnt interested in me.

What?

What are you talking about, Illi-chan! Im very interested in you! I want to know everything about you, your hobbies, your eating habits, your physical data, your schedule, even the number of spirits you have contracted. No, I already know about half of it.

Shut up, please. Or rather, Worm, you and I need to have a talk later.

.. Why did you say that, old Worm

No, its not that Im not interested either Well, what are you doing here old Worm?

Im just kidding when I say that Ill go to wherever she is I just saw that a familiar face was participating in a match, and he ended up being badly injured. The first-aid staff in the arena couldnt help him, so I rushed over.

Its hard to tell if hes serious or not, but Im glad he was here.

I was the one who started the healing process first, but without Worm-sans magic, I would have had a hard time rejoining your arm.

That being said, old WormsLight Magicskill has reached Lv. 3.

Seiji-san. If you dont mind, would you follow me?

Illi walked away quietly. Was the reason she was in the arena something that she doesnt want people to hear about.

As I hesitated to decide what to do, I saw old Worm follow without hesitation.

Old Worm What are you doing?

Illi-san seemed to ask in a really cold tone, but the person in question seems rather happy about it.

Hmm? I thought you said you wanted to talk to me later.

That was incredible, old Worm. Seriously, I respect you.

As expected though, Illi-san began to show signs of fatigue. She let out a small sign at the same time.

Seiji. Im sorry to have to go around. There is actually someone who wants to talk to you. Would you please come with me?

She was being quite direct. Old Worm must have seriously disrupted her pace. There are only a few people that Illi-san would be afraid of. I was tempted to go straight home, but I was also indebted to her for her treatment.

I can at least listen to what she has to say.

Can I come too?

.. do whatever you want.

We left the first aid room and walked down the gently curving corridors of the outer edge of the arena.

We stepped into the area where soldiers were stationed and it was off-limits. After a white, Illi stopped in front of the gorgeous doors of the structure.

Here we are.

When the door was slowly pushed open, a man was standing in the room. His upside-down auburn hair covered his face as it connected with his beard. He has a great mane with stern parts in the center like a lion.

Ill never forget his appearance.

Oh, King!

Its been a while, hasnt it? Seiji.

The one looking at us is Hardin Tuo Belad. He is the current King of the Kingdom of Rishayil.

He remembered my name and face from the rescue of Marita, his niece, in Merveille.

If you are in the capital, why didnt you come to the palace to show your face? And is that old Worm over there? You look good as always.

Hey. does the king know old Worm?

Hardin-sama sometimes goes to inspect the magic laboratory by himself. I heard that he has long been acquainted with Worm-san, who is an excellent technician for making magicla tools.

Illi-san read face and answered my question.

Its been a long time. Im glad to see youre doing well, King.

Hahaha! Locking yourself up in a lab isnt good for your old body.

Thats right. Sometimes I stretch my wings like this. Im surprised to learn that Seibo was acquainted with the King. I think Id better leave at this point.

As expected, when dealing with a king, even old Worm seems to have some common sense.

I dont mind. But I didnt know that old Worm was also acquainted with Seiji. Seibo hmm?

The king rubbed his goatee as if he was thinking about something.

Did Illi know about this?

Yes.

Ah Apparently Illi hadnt really reported to the king that I was coming to the capital.

Well, thats alright. Its probably because I recruited Seibo a little too aggressively.

Oh, a humble response. I mean, the king called me Seibo, too. Lets not talk about that.

The person that Illi-san mentioned that she wanted me to meet would definitely be the King.

Uh, did the King want to talk to me?

No need to be so formal. You can speak normally.

You mean, like

You seem to be doing alright. That was a great fight you just had. Its been a long time since Ive seen a fight as heated as that one. I suppose it would be. foolish to ask what you did at the end.

The end? What is he talking about? I wonder if hes trying to solicit me to join his subordinates again.

Dont be so alarmed. I just wanted to pay my compliments. I told you that if you wanted to serve me, you could always knock on the gate of the palace. Im not going to tell you the same thing twice.

.. I guess this attitude was a bit rude after I was treated by Illi.

Um, thank you very much. But why is the King here?

Id guess that the king has actual work to do.

This is a spectator room reserved for Hardin-sama. Ive heard that you need to visit places like this to find talented people. I think hes just here to have fun though.

Dont say that, Illi.

It will be a mixed bag, but there will definitely be skilled people.

But Im not going to be nave enough to believe in the coincidence that you just happened to be at my match.

Would you believe me if I told you I came in from the royal palace to watch the match?

If you tell such lies in front of Illi-san, shell see right through you.

Haha. Its the usual. Its true that I didnt come here to watch the match in the first place. In fact, I received a somewhat interesting document the other day.

The king took out a document, which was a rolled up tube of paper.

The content is this

Lich Xiao, Lord of Toggle, who wishes to befriend the King of Rayshil

Ive seen some very simple love letters. There was nothing specific in it. At first, I thought it was a bad joke, but it seems the signature is genuine.

Lich Xiao is possibly the brother of those two. What are they thinking, sending a letter to the king of neighboring country out of the blue.

I was a little curious. I had a few questions I wanted to ask the prisoners who were transferred to this arena, and thats why I came.

Thats Rei and Ren. I guess its know that those two are related to the Lord of Toggle..

Were a little behind schedule, but we should be able to bring them here shortly.

As soon as the king said that, there was a knock on the door. The two people were brought in the younger brother was looking around the room carefree, while the older sister was still scowling.

The king began to question them with a look full of intimidation. The air was so heavy I was worried Id crack open in a few seconds.

What kind of person is the current lord, Lich Xiao?

What is the treu meaning of this letter?

If there is any lies, he will be able to detect it, because Illi-san is standing next to him, watching the two. So this is why theyre here.

After a while, the interrogation finally seemed to end.

You didnt have me much useful information. And I dont even feel like youre lying to me.

As for Lich Xiaos character, he was a prodigal son, and I they dont know the true meaning of the letter.

If thats how Illi-san felt, then i guess they really dont know anything. They were separated from their homeland at an early age, so its not surprising.

Then theres no need for us to force you to move.

I guess he didnt expect much to begin with. The King didnt seem to be disappointed.

But its a little curious isnt it?

Do you care about.?

Oh, thats. gone.

Not really, I have no intention of going to the Suven Empire at the moment.

You have never said anything of the sort. But if you are going to the Togolese region on your journey, as an acquaintance I will be glad to help you with some money. I look forward to hearing your tales.

The King has made a move. Is this what he wanted all along?

No, Im not even familiar with the geography of the other side.

You mean you need a companion who knows the place? If thats the case

Ill go!

What? Who?

The one who raised her voice Rei.

Lich nii-san that guy.. Please let me come with you.

I think this is the first time Rei has asked me for anything. Then I know how I will respond.

Yeah I dont think thats possible